"We played some ball today," Spurrier said. "We didn't get a bunch of fumble returns or blocked punts. We didn't do any of that. We played till the end and looked up, and we had beaten No. 1 by a couple of touchdowns."

That was the real end-of-days revelation. Trickery wasn't necessary. Spurrier didn't have to dust off one of the old game plans he used to beat Alabama in those SEC Championship Games. The Old Ballcoach didn't have to draw up any new ballplays in the dirt.

He simply had to let his players play. It helped that he now has his best collection of playmakers since his heyday in the Swamp.

South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia made another big mistake, throwing the ball through the end zone for an unnecessary safety, but he more than made up for it with one big completion after another.

How good were the Gamecocks against the best team in the country? They took the lead for good on their first possession.

How good were the Gamecocks from start to finish? The public-address voice made the following announcement with 3:31 to play: "Please remain off the field at the end of the game."

That's right. The game was over before it was done.

The South Carolina students reacted as you might expect with an announcement of their own: "You can't stop us."

They were talking to the cops lining up across the back of the end zone. They could've directed that chant at the Alabama defenders.

Saban's team lost its first regular-season game in three years because his defense gave up more points than it had since 2007. If the Alabama defense looked bad Saturday - and it did - it was a reminder of how good the Alabama defense was last year.

Rolando McClain and company have been replaced, not reincarnated.

This defense is not that defense. This team is not that team. That team didn't let road games or bye weeks or anything else get in the way of winning games. That team had a maturity and leadership that this team lacks, especially on defense.

Greg McElroy is a leader. The quarterback didn't play a bad game or his best game, but he stepped up in the postgame locker room after Saban had his say.

"I said, 'Hey, if you're not committed to this team right now, you better find a way to get committed,' " McElroy said, "because, quite frankly, some of these guys have never experienced a loss. I have, early in my career.

"I don't like the feeling, and I'm not going to have this feeling anymore."

Strong words from a young man trying to absorb his first loss as a starting quarterback in high school or college.

"I'm disappointed, of course," he said. "Anyone who's ever changed the world or done anything great has sat where we're at right now."

So South Carolina 35, Alabama 21 wasn't the end of the world. But the Crimson Tide sure can see it from here.